Even old, faded jewels need care and occasional polishing.

And maintenance of The Diamond during the coming period of uncertainty appears to be the most pressing concern for the Richmond Metropolitan Authority, which owns and operates the ballpark.

Robert M. "Mike" Berry, the RMA's general manager, noted that the regional authority paid off all debt related to the ballpark a few years ago. "We're in pretty good shape financially in terms of weathering the storm," he said in an interview.

However, Berry said a chief concern in the short term is protecting the RMA's $400,000 investment a few years ago in a new field. Currently, the Braves cover those costs, and Berry said last week that he couldn't estimate how much that will be for the RMA.

"Maintaining the field and the quality of the field will be a significant issue in the interim," he said.

Berry said the impending loss of the Braves doesn't do much to reduce expenses because maintenance issues don't necessarily go away. He said the authority's staff will spend the next few weeks identifying critical maintenance needs.

The authority also is working with Virginia Commonwealth University for the school's baseball team to continue playing there.

"We don't want to shut it down," Berry told Richmond City Council's finance committee last week.

Proceeds from skybox leases have been plowed back into Diamond improvements in recent years. The leases, which generate about $25,000 per year for each of the 14 skyboxes, helped pay for debt at the outset but are now being used for capital improvements, such as the field. All but two or three of the boxes are currently leased.

Berry said the RMA's holdings -- including The Diamond, the toll expressway system and three Richmond parking decks -- stand on their own financially.

The Diamond's last financial report shows total operating revenues last year fell to $607,000, down from $626,000 the previous year, primarily because of a reduction in skybox and parking revenue. Total operating expenses decreased by nearly 21 percent last year because the authority finished paying costs related to roof repairs. The Diamond's total net assets were $5.7 million.

Berry said he hopes the region will decide that baseball is important to the area's future.

"That's part of the public policy side of things. How much economic benefit is there? How much is quality of life?" he said. "I think it's important for the community."

Maggi Beckstoffer of MBM Marketing in Richmond said the team was not necessarily an economic driver in the community, but part of its quality of life.

"It's certainly one less item to list as a reason to visit or move a business to Richmond, but in the whole scheme of things it doesn't hurt," she said.